Strock Advances, Stewart Caps Career to Open NCAA T&F East Preliminary

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - James Madison junior Carol Strock advanced in the 1,500-meter run, and senior Kathleen Stewart capped off her career with the running of the 10,000-meter run on day one of the 2016 NCAA Track & Field East Preliminary, hosted by the University of North Florida, on Thursday at Hodges Stadium.

Strock opened the team's competition by qualifying through to the quarterfinals of the 1,500 after she finished fifth in her heat to claim one of the automatic bids for the next round. She accomplished the feat with a personal-best time of 4:22.33, which was also good for 17th overall out of 48 runners. The mark surpassed her previous best of 4:22.49, set earlier this month at the CAA Track & Field Championships.

The Mechanicsburg, Pa. native moves on to Saturday's quarters, which will feature the top-24 runners (two heats of 12) in the East. In order to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., Strock must turn in a top-5 finish in her heat or record one of the top-2 times overall following the five automatic qualifiers from each heat.

In the nightcap, Stewart completed her success-filled career in the 10,000. The Holland, Pa. native finished the grueling 25-lap marathon with a time of 35:40.16, good for 34th place out of 48 competitors.

UP NEXT
The Dukes will have a pair of athletes competing on Friday as graduate student Amber Monroe will throw the discus, beginning at noon, while freshman Olivia Viparina will run the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 8:50 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Follow the Dukes all weekend long through JMU Track & Field's Twitter account or by visiting the NCAA East Preliminary web portal, which houses event information, live stats and meet results.

POST-RACE WITH COACH RINKER (Strock Post-Race Interview) (Stewart Post-Race Interview)

PHOTO OF THE DAY - view full photo gallery
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Olivia Viparina meets Carol Strock with a hug after she qualified for the 1,500 quarterfinals

LATE MOVE PROPELS STROCK TO SATURDAY
A late surge by Carol Strock in the first round of the 1,500-meter run qualified her for Saturday's quarterfinal in the event. Strock sat in seventh place in her heat midway through the race and was in sixth on the final lap before she pulled into the top five heading down the final stretch, securing a spot in the 24-competitor quarterfinal.

STEWART FINISHES JMU AS ONE OF THE TOP DISTANCE RUNNERS
Kathleen Stewart's career came to a close Thursday night when she completed the longest NCAA race - the 10,000-meter run. During her four-year tenure with the Dukes, Stewart qualified twice for the NCAA Track & Field East Preliminary and ranks third all-time at JMU in both the 5,000 and 10,000. She was also a two-time CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and most recently was named JMU's 2015-16 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

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